Strength Of A Rider
by Panduh-Fox-love
Summary: "I am not a Viking. I am not your son. I am not a dragon killer. I am a dragon rider! And I will die before I see you kill my dragon!" Hiccup flies with Toothless away from Berk. Will they  ever  come back to end the war? Or get wrapped up in another?
1. Slayer

My first Fanfic on HTTYD. Please review and tell me if I should continue, because I'm not sure yet. Sorry if the updates are slow, I'm also trying to do two other stories. Love to all! ~Heart~

~Hiccup~POV~

The Nightmare got scared.

Yes, what a weird sentence. So, let me explain. My hand was an inch away from his chin, so close to his scratching spot. If I succeeded, I was set for life. If this went right, my dad would still love me, and Toothless would be safe. I stretched out, my fingers hovering above his red scales. I had just told the Vikings there was nothing to be afraid of. I tried to tell them that dragons weren't bad! If only they had opened their eyes and seen what was about to happen. But then, that would be too easy.

Within seconds, my dad came in. He was yelling and making a lot of noise, and of course the Nightmare got scared. It wheeled back on its hind legs, screaming. I was knocked back onto my butt, yelling the whole time. Commotion and havoc ensued. Vikings jumped from various places, wielding axes and swords and weaponry that would take to long to list. People were yelling, I was still on the ground shouting, but no one heard me. The nightmare swung his head around, caught sight of me weak and helpless, and let out a huge roar.

And then someone yelled. Two words and the whole arena grew silent as people dropped to the ground. It took me a second to understand what he had said. _No,_ I thought_. It's not possible!_

"Night Fury!" A man yelled while dropping onto the ground. For a moment, I had hope. Maybe there was_ another_ night fury, another one of Toothless' kind. But then, it was the middle of the day. And night fury's only came out at night. A lump got stuck in my throat. No, it can't be Toothless. Why would he be coming here? It's the middle of the day, and he knows to stay away from the villagers! Not to mention he can't fly without me on his back…My questions were answered in less than a second. With a high pitched whine, a blue ball struck the chain of the arena, and none other than Toothless came barreling inside.

I knew it was him, and not some other dragon. Not because of the fake fin tail, not because of the way he looked to me and then swiveled around to the dragon threatening to hurt me. I knew Toothless so well by now, I knew his movements and the way he hunches his back a little like a cat prepared to strike. So why didn't I realize he would come here to protect me, trouble flying or not?

Toothless roared and shot out his teeth, growling at the Nightmare across from him. His back was to me, and I stood warily and backed up as I realized his efforts to protect me would be wasted if I was in the middle of the fight. Toothless let out a low growl in his throat, and for some reason I knew it was a 'thank you' sent my way.

Meanwhile, the other Vikings also had a smart idea, for once; to back up against the wall as well as the dragons eyed each other. I glanced around the circle. There was Astrid, hugging the wall like the smart girl she was as she inched towards me. Her eyes were trained on the dragons, although I detected a hint of worry in her eyes. Dad was in the middle of the group of Vikings, though spread out to get as far away from the fight as possible. I caught his eyes for a moment. He looked afraid, and I realized he was afraid for me. Toothless was less than a foot away from me. Dad was probably thinking I was lucky that the dragon hadn't noticed me yet. He had no idea I had consorted with our enemy, and the dragon in front of me was my friend. There was a sudden movement, and all eyes were suddenly on the fight.

Toothless leapt forward, kicking and scratching his strong legs. The two dragons were a mess of wings and scales as they rolled across the arena, making long scratches in the dirt where they passed. They bounced against the wall and Toothless came on top of the huge red dragon, snarling. His head darted forward like a snake, biting the dragons shoulder with a spurt of blood. The Nightmare roared and brought his hind legs up, slicing at Toothless. The dark dragon darted off, using his wings to propel himself into the air. He landed on the ground a few feet away, snarling. My leg twitched in pain and I hissed, clutching it in wonder. For a moment I didn't realize why, until I noticed Toothless' left leg was bleeding from a huge scratch.

I blinked in wonder. What was that? The pain in my leg died down to a dull throbbing and I stood up straight. _Toothless_…Suddenly, Astrid was beside me.

"We need to get him out of here." She whispered and I nodded numbly. Her eyes darted to me, and I could tell out of the corner of my eye she was searching me. "You okay?" I shook my head and bit my lip as Toothless leapt again. My adrenaline was pumping, and I was worried for the life of my best friend. My fist clenched and Astrid's blonde head darted back to the fight.

Toothless rushed at the bigger dragon and hit it in the stomach with his shoulder. Then his wing snapped out at the last moment, adding to the Nightmare's blow backwards. The red shape hit the wall and slumped. It took me a moment before I realized it was over, the Nightmare had been knocked out. Toothless growled and backed up again, his green eyes darting to the advancing Vikings.

My dad was leading the group trying to kill my best friend. They raised their weapons to shoulder height, glinting in the sun light. I stepped forward and Astrid grabbed my shoulder, worry in her eyes once again. I stopped and looked back to Toothless. His black hide was inching closer and closer to me, and I realized he thought the Vikings were trying to attack _me_. And if he could just get away….

I stepped forward with panic in my eyes. "Toothless, run!" His head swiveled and looked to me, questioning. "They won't hurt me! Now go!" Tears threatened my eyes in panic. They were getting closer; they were going to hurt Toothless!

Dad paused for a moment, axe still in hand. "Hiccup, what are you doing?" suddenly, the worry in his eyes turned to anger and fury. "Move away from the dragon!"

I shook my head and stepped up more, only a few feet away from Toothless now. "He won't hurt you!" I yelled to my father. "So please, don't hurt him!" I begged now. Surely, he could see the pain in my eyes. The panic, the concern. My best friend was in danger, and my heart was beating so hard my chest was hurting.

Dad raised his axe more. "Dragons are our enemies Hiccup! You should know this! They've killed hundreds of us!"

"And we've killed thousands of them!" I could feel the hot tears streaking down my face, assaulting my lips with salt.

"Have you lost your mind?" Dad yelled at me and I realized everyone else was looking at me with anger as well. I didn't care, obviously they couldn't be reasoned with. I turned and locked eyes with Toothless.

"Toothless, go! GO, NOW!" I yelled and waved my arms, but as I did a Viking stepped closer, weapon in hand. Toothless let out a huge roar and leapt towards the man, pushing him back against the wall. Dad led the rest of the Vikings, him at the front, running straight towards my best friend.

I froze, the world slowing for a moment. They were about to kill Toothless. And I was too weak, too helpless to do anything about it. I felt my heart pause for a moment. He was all I had, he was important to me! Why couldn't dad realize that? But for some reason, he just couldn't. And now…Dad rushed at Toothless, his arms raised for the final blow on Toothless' neck. Was this it? How could I go on, without Toothless? He meant so much to me, I didn't know how to describe it. He was _my _dragon! I flew with him, we ate together most nights. We explored the island, we fought each other jokingly. So many weeks of bonding…and this was it? He was going to die, or worse. They would take him alive, torture him maybe. I saw what would happen, the horrors he would endure. I couldn't let him go through that. But how was I to stop it? I was too weak…I was just Hiccup the useless, and I always have been.

I bit my lip, causing blood to leak out. Dad was yelling, throwing himself forward. I couldn't be weak anymore! Toothless had come out here to protect me, and now I was going to fail him? _NO._ I darted backwards, grabbing a shield from the wall. I turned, pausing for a moment and taking in the scene. I had to change this…I felt a strength come through me and I darted forwards, past a yelling Astrid. I couldn't hear what she was saying, all I was focused on was the glint of the axe, rising higher and higher. I pushed my feet forward, running faster than I had ever in my life. I pulled the shield up in front of my face and slide across the dirt ground and Toothless turned. The axe came down slowly. I was so close…and then I felt Toothless' black scales against my back. I raised the shield with a scowl on my face.

THUNK.

There was a loud hollow noise, and a pain in my arms. My shoulders jarred against me, my arms aching. But that wasn't the worst of the pain. My right eye seemed to burst into flames and I felt a hot liquid pouring down my face. The sound stopped, along with all movement. With my left eye, I could see the glint of my dad's axe…going right through the shield. It had stopped it, yes. But not before it hit my right eye. There was a pause of shock across the arena. I felt toothless' fear and anger building behind me.

I grunted and shoved the shield back. It slid off my arm with Dad's axe, falling to the ground with another thunk. I stumbled back, my hand to my bleeding eye and the other pressed against the warmth of toothless' scales. I hissed in pain and Toothless roared angrily, but not moving from being my support. I could barely see, the world twisting beneath me. I felt like puking and then falling unconscious all at the same time. I gripped Toothless harder and I leaned against him.

"H-Hiccup." My Dad's scratched voice came to me. My eye darted over to him, to see him staring at me in disbelief. "Son…"

I shook my head, tears pouring down my good eye and mixing with blood. "You…Your not my father!" I shouted angrily. He had tried to kill Toothless! I felt Toothless move against me anxiously, huffing at the scent of my blood. I looked over to Astrid, gaping in horror. Thankfully, the rest of the Vikings were still, also watching with amazement in their eyes.

"I'm sorry Astrid." A sad smile crossed her face as I whispered it.

She took a deep breath, tears filling her eyes. "Do what you have to do, to protect your friend." I smiled and took my hand off Toothless. Suddenly, the dragon was beside me, crouching down and reading my mind. I leapt onto his back. Saddle or not, I had to get us out of here. I kept my hand on my eye, trying to stop the bleeding. I looked to the village, their weapons dropped slightly.

"I am not a Viking." I repeated. I looked to Dad-no, Stoick the vast in sorrow. "I am not your son." I paused, taking a deep breath and setting my hand against Toothless' back. "I am not a dragon killer." Toothless stood and the village gasped at the sight of me riding a dragon, no less a night fury. I chuckled as I realized this would be the first time I had ever rode him bareback. "I am a dragon rider! And I will die before I see you kill my dragon!" More tears streaked down my face.

Before anyone could say a thing, Toothless leapt up into the sky. I glanced down at Astrid, sad smile still on her face as she watched us fly into the sky. I patted toothless' back as I wrapped my arm around his neck best I could. He was flying haphazardly, tail fin flapping loosely in the wind. I groaned and set my forehead against his scales.

"Toothless…"I groaned and he whined worriedly, hitting me with his ear softly as the village disappeared before his wobbly form. "I would do it again, you know." Another moan from Toothless, and I smiled softly. 'And I for you.' It seemed he had said.

I noticed blood dripping down Toothless' scales, some from his leg and some from my eye. Oh god, my eye! Would I be able to see from it again? We had to leave, but where? Where could I go, to get a doctor's help? Would I need it? If it got infected…I groaned again. It hurt so much…and my left leg was still throbbing…We lurched in the sky again, the world turning for a moment and I held on. We were heading towards the place Toothless hung while I was in the village…good thing I left my stuff there from when I was planning to run away. We were going to run away now, run as far as we could go. Hopefully, we would be okay.

My head spun as the sun set, casting pink and purple across the sky. My thighs hurt…apparently dragon's scales were painful. But to tell the truth, I didn't feel it much. The sky spun, and for a moment I panicked, thinking we were going down. Toothless made a small noise in this throat. Telling me not to worry. Go to sleep. He'll wake me when we get back to the clearing….Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe he didn't mean all that. But for some reason, I really thought he did.

I slumped, letting the tension ease off of me. We were leaving the village I had grown up in and lived in all my life. I had never been anywhere else…I thought of D-Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, all my "friends," but then again…I yawned and Toothless crooned in response. They were never really my friends…Toothless, on the other hand…

I faded into oblivion before I could finish the thought.


	2. Peace

I can't wait for the weekend…then I can write all day. It's my stress reliever! Don't own HTTYD. Sorry if it's a slow chapter…and if its rough. I submit it as soon as I write it! Hope it's good…

~Hiccup~

"**Fate has been altered."** Her voice washed over me like water, pushing away the pain I had been feeling. Toothless' steady beat rocked me to sleep and I barely fought the darkness. And then, there was _her _voice.

"**You have changed your path forever."** I wanted to ask a question, but I didn't know how. I was half awake, half asleep. My body was numb, but I wasn't dreaming…was I?

"**Listen, young Rider."** There was a pause. **"The trail ahead is lengthy, and strenuous. But by taking a leap of faith, you altered yourself the moment you chose to defend your friend with your life."** This must be a dream. It had to be! What else could it be? And why was she rambling? **"Point is, you made a difference, a change Fate had not anticipated. From now on, everything is in the wind. And up to you."** She laughed; her voice was like wind chimes in a storm. **"You are special, young one. And with this change in fate, you will finally grow to your full potential. You have a gift, rider. Use it well…"** Her voice trailed off.

I groaned and tried to move. It was hard, my body still unbelievingly numb. There was a hard thump and it rattled me so I opened my good eye blurrily. My other eye seemed to be glued shut and crusty, and I didn't want to risk the pain of opening it. _What a weird dream_, I thought as I sat up slowly. Wait, what was it about anyway? There was just someone talking…what had she said? I shrugged off the dream and looked around as best I could.

Toothless had just landed us in the small clearing we had met at. It was dark now, the sun well gone. No doubt they would still be looking for us though…I tried to move my leg and groaned in pain. My leggings were stuck to me, and I could feel a hot liquid pouring from my thighs. Oh god…Toothless moaned and tried to see me to make sure I was okay. He probably smelled the blood. And with the realization, the pain came back like I was hit with Thor's hammer.

My eye ached, and stung and was on fire. My thighs were torn, pain ripping through my body. "Toothless…" I muttered. "I need your help getting off…" Suddenly, Toothless sat down and when I didn't move, he tilted over. He fell along with me, hitting the soft ground with a thunk. The grass smelled of dirt…but I guess it was really the dirt that smelled like dirt and the grass just smelled like grass. I struggled to move into a sitting position, legs out and spread before me.

"Toothless…bring the pack." My voice sounded hoarse. He sniffed for a moment, coming closer and putting his nose to my head. His breath ruffled my hair and I chuckled. Toothless stood slowly, walking away and causing the ground to shake a little.

'wooly-headed human…' he seemed to say as he turned and eyed me with a yellow-green eye.

I groaned and I tried to stay awake. "You're Loki's spawn! Useless reptile…" I smiled as he seemed to raise an eyebrow at me. He huffed into the air and began to drag the wicker basket towards me. My head was light…I guess from lack of blood. I was really; really lucky I left my pack here with my stuff in it. Toothless scuffled before me and before I could stop him, tipped the basket over on the good part of my legs. We stared at each other for a second before I smiled weakly.

"Thanks for dumping my shit out for all to see. That's great."

He cocked his head and pressed down an ear. I swear I could hear him say, 'what's shit?' I just chuckled and began to search through my things. The pile consisted of the essentials really: A money bag filled with bronze and a few silver pieces, an extra pair of clothes, including a thicker pair of pants and a coat, which were mostly green and brown. A fishing pole, plain and small with two flint rocks; though I doubt ill need them when with Toothless. My journal and my charcoal pencil were there also. I had some bread and fruit in another small bag. A dagger was settled between a small hammer and a few pieces of leather for Toothless' saddle in case it broke. And then, the first aid kit. Gods am I lucky. I grabbed it and pulled out some gauze as Toothless plopped beside me on the right.

So, I got to work. I brought out some alcohol I had taken from dad and poured it on my eye. Yes, it was stupid. And it hurt like a bitch. I screamed as I did so, causing Toothless to look up in alarm. I tried to reassure him through clenched teeth and he finally set his head down again. Then I grabbed the wrap and pulled it around my head and across my eye tightly. I sighed as I tied it off in the back. The pressure was good, and my eye had stopped bleeding finally though it leaked a little. I wondered if I would ever be able to see from it again as I pocked my leg and hissed.

Toothless gave me a sad look again, as if saying 'sorry'

I smiled at him. "Not your fault. Just…" I paused and looked at my legs. "Help me pull my leggings off?" He rolled his eyes and stood, walking to my feet. He grabbed my leggings with his teeth and I grabbed my end. "Ready?" He nodded. "Go!" He pulled, and I pushed. Unfortunately, it didn't end the way I wanted. My leggings ended up ripping and tearing off of me, revealing my bleeding thighs. I sighed and Toothless gave me a funny look. "Hey, I happened to like these things!" He rolled his eyes again and came back to lie at me side. Well, at least they were off. I did the same, pouring alcohol and then wrapping my thighs tightly. I was banged up, and I was sure I had some gnarly bruise on my arms after that hit from the axe…I pulled on my other pants gingerly and threw the leggings away, them being useless now. As I was pulling on my thick jacket, (it got cold up there!) I looked to Toothless.

"Leg." He looked at me, and then back to his left leg. I narrowed my eyes. "Come onnn!" I whined and he finally stuck out his black limb. I glanced to him and got to work on tying the rest of the gauze around the wound. As soon as it was done, Toothless reached down to sniff it. "Don't touch." I muttered as I lay back, eyeing the stars.

'Why not?'

"Because if you touch it, it might come off. And I don't have any gauze left…" I had even packed extra! Well, I hadn't expected us to be so wounded. I looked over t Toothless, who had the same worried look in his eyes as I probably did. "It'll be okay, right?"

He looked over to me and smiled in his weird way. 'Of course' I imagined him saying. 'I'm a dragon! I'll take care of us.' I smiled at my weirdness. Maybe I was still hallucinating a bit; I had lost a lot of blood. I struggled to get up and Toothless followed me.

"We have to get off the island." He seemed to agree, so I grabbed the saddle and hobbled over to him, sliding it on his back and buckling it in place. It was night, but we had to get to another island. I can stay awake enough for that, right? I began to pack my things up, feeling nostalgic. Maybe one day we can come back, at least to see if they had stopped being so prejudiced. Was it like that everywhere? Judging people or animals on what they looked like?

I put the lid on the basket and struggled to walk to the impatient dragon. He huffed at me, and I groaned. "I'm injured here!" Not to mention, it was unbalancing using only one eye. I strapped the basket to the side of his saddle and swung onto is back, sliding my feet into the rests. He flicked me with his ear and I leaned against his back. _Ready_, I thought.

Toothless once again took off into the sky, leaving behind the only home I had ever known. I turned around as we leveled out in the blackness, watching the flickering of Berks' lights. This was it. We were leaving, going farther than either one of us ever has. It was so easy; I almost expected an invisible wall to crop up suddenly. But this was all. I turned back to the front, flinching as the leather saddle rubbed against my thighs. We rode in the night sky, silent and dark as the clouds above us. Stars glittered in the sky, reflecting off the sea as I looked down. We were free now. It was just Toothless and I, striking off to places unknown.

I felt elated, in a sense. We were free! We could go anywhere, I know it. I put my hand on Toothless' black scales in front of me. "We're doing it buddy." I felt him hum in happiness. He probably felt pent up, grounded because of me most of the time. And now…we could go anywhere. It didn't mean I wasn't sad. Of course I was. I left behind everything I ever knew. But you know what? I gained something more important than that. Toothless was okay, and we were here together, flying like always.

I shifted my foot down a position as Toothless went higher into the sky, brushing the dark clouds with his wings. But, where would we go? We had the whole world to explore. Where first?

'Wherever we want.' Toothless' voice echoed in my head. Right, wherever we want.

~snore~

I groaned and moved to my side, trying to block out the sudden brightness that was attacking my good eye. For a moment, I was comfortable. Until I realized I was no longer warm as I was earlier. What the heck happened? I opened my eye and glared at the huge shadow above me. Toothless stood, eying me with a surprised look, his wing hovering over me. Oh, yeah that's right.

We had found another island. It was small, but it had enough game on it to hunt, which is what Toothless wanted most of all. I had settled down in a camp, making a small fire. The dragon had drug back a deer and began to munch on it as I fished. I caught one, ate it and lay down on the cold dirt. I had forgotten to pack a blanket, of course. After a few minutes of shivering trying to sleep next to the fire, Toothless had scooted closer to me and wrapped his wing around me. Immediate warmth spread over me, and I slept like Gobber.

And now, I was awake! I growled at Toothless, trying to look intimidating with only one eye. "Hey!" The dragon just seemed to smile at me as he curled his wing into his body.

'You sleep too much. Sunrise was almost three hours ago.' I groaned and began to stand slowly. Then I stopped, half crouched and stared at Toothless. I was still hallucinating?

"What?" Toothless just cocked his head at me. Okay, right. Dragons can't talk. Silly me. I scolded myself as I stood on shaky legs. I began to tip over and black scales stopped me abruptly. "Thanks, Tooth." I pushed myself up and the dragon watched me with wary eyes. I stretched and yawned loudly. As I did, I brought my hand above my head and turned to the side. Yuck…I lowered my arm slowly and looked to Toothless.

"I'm going to go take a bath. You okay to wait?" He nodded and looked to the woods. I got the feeling he was going to go hunting and I smiled, sliding off my jacket. "I'll be back." I felt his eyes on my back as I walked away towards the lake or pond I had spotted while we were flying over.

'Be safe' I raised my hand over my shoulder in a goodbye wave and I felt Toothless turn to the forest in preparation for the hunt. Time to go wash in a lake (hopefully) not too far from here.

~break~

I looked at my reflection in the water. I had taken my clothing off, including my wraps, and was now eyeing myself in the lake. My eye was a mess. I was lucky, I guess, that the axe didn't hit right on. The red, puffy line ran from just above my eyebrow to my cheekbone, and it was far enough to the right that it barely passed over the corner of my eye. Still, my eye was swollen and I couldn't peel my lids off each other. It hurt like a mother too. My thighs were in bad shape as well. They were rubbed raw, and in several places they had started to bleed.

I lowered myself into the cold water, hissing at the temperature and the touch on my wounds. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to get used to the cold. Then I realized the more I stayed, the colder I would get. Taking a big gulp of air, I dived underwater, shutting my good eye. I floated for a moment, reveling in the serenity. It was quiet below the surface, quiet and serene. For a moment, it was dark and safe, like a womb and my thoughts strayed to Berk.

We had left, just got up and left. It was sudden, and I was still getting over the shock, not to mention my own dad hit me with the sharp side of an axe. We were gone. It took a while to sink in. Everything I knew…Nothing out here I knew about. Maybe I could remember a bit of the stories from the north east, but Toothless and I were going the opposite way, south west. The world could be huge, and so much to explore. What would we do though? Where would we go?

My lungs began to scream for air and I burst from the freezing water, flinching at the air hitting my right eye. I quickly scrubbed my skin as best I could, trying to wash off. I shuffled over to the shore as my feet began to go numb and grabbed my wraps. They were bloody and I washed them as well, scrubbing each side together with shaking hands. Finally, I could stand the cold no longer. I leapt out of the water and grabbed my clothes, not bothering to put them on as I walked through the forest. All I wanted was to get the fire started…

When I emerged from the forest and into camp, Toothless was already eating another identifiable animal. He stared at me for a moment as I stood, shivering and naked. Then he puckered his lips and with a high scream, blew a puff of fire at the stack of wood I had gathered yesterday. I sighed with happiness and draped my wraps across a tree branch, letting them dry as best I could. I crouched near the fire, warming my numb hands first.

The black dragon across from the fire eyed me for a moment before turning back to his breakfast. I smiled and motioned to the fire.

"Thanks for the warmth Toothless." One eye looked up at me and blinked while he munched. I hummed for a moment. "We should get a map somewhere…we need to know where we're going at least." He ate passively, giving no sign he even heard me. So how did I know he agreed? I bit my lip. This has been going on for a while, this weird…sense. I didn't know what it was, and it was freaking me out. At first, I could barely read the dragon. And now…I eyed the black form. He seemed to realize my distress because he chewed slowly, perking his head and ears up as he caught my gaze.

He seemed to be asking what I was doing. How did I know that? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air smelled of pine needles and sap, and salty sea air. Toothless…I thought for a moment. He was my best friend, right? So it would be natural that I could understand him a bit, after all, he couldn't talk…I opened my eyes and smiled at Toothless. For a moment, he seemed confused, and then he just rolled his eyes and began to eat again.

"So, a map. To get a map, we need to find civilization. Maybe I can see a healer about my eye…" Toothless grunted in agreement. For a few minutes, the only sound was Toothless crunching on bones and meat. I sighed and stood up, grabbing my clothes and slipping them on. Sure, I was still a little drippy but it was better than being naked and cold. I shoved my brown boots on and tucked my pants in happily. We were free. I walked over to the other side of the fire and sat down, my back resting against Toothless' form as he ate slowly. The sun was rising in the sky, shining it's light down on the creatures and plants of the earth.

I don't know how long we sat there. It could have been minutes, or weeks. I felt like I could turn to stone in this position. It was peaceful, the breeze blowing through the trees gently. I was here, with Toothless. The dragon had finished eating too, and was gazing around lazily like me. We breathed together, we shifted together, I even felt our hearts beating as one. His warm scales rubbed against my back, but not uncomfortably. It was safe here. No one was trying to kill Toothless in these woods, no one would be searching for him. I didn't have to pretend to be someone or something I'm not. In here, I wasn't Hiccup Haddock the third, or Hiccup the Useless. I wasn't a Viking in these woods, or a dragon killer, or the disappointing son of the chief. I was Hiccup, and I was with Toothless. Just me and my best friend.

The sun had moved the next time I looked. It wasn't above us anymore, it was behind us a bit. I guessed it was about two in the afternoon. Time had no grasp here though, and I leaned against toothless once more, enjoying his company. He hummed deeply in his throat, peaceful.

The peace was shattered by a loud growl. I fell backwards on the ground as Toothless jumped up, his head swinging side to side, searching for the enemy. For a second, all was quiet. Then I started to laugh from my place on he ground, arms spread wide. Toothless glanced at me, back to the woods and then relaxed a bit. His yellow eyes glared at me, questioning why the heck was I laughing. I smiled at him as he leered over me.

"It was my stomach, Tooth." I smiled as he pulled his head up in disbelieve.

'What? Your stomach wants to fight?' I laughed more, closing my one good eye as it started to water.

"I'm just hungry." He paused for a moment, and then darted down, shoving his nose against my stomach.

'Why'd it make that noise?' I laughed and pushed his black nose away. I smiled for a moment, worried about my sanity. Toothless was…talking? Kind of? Not really though, it was more like…

I snapped out of my confused thoughts. Why did it matter anyway? I sighed. "I'm going to eat the bread and apple I brought, then we should leave." Toothless looked at me, almost like he was saying something, but it didn't come through. I didn't hear anything, which was good I guess. I mean, hearing voices is bad I know that much. Toothless seemed to agree though, so I stood slowly on shaky legs. My thighs hurt so much! I felt them crack and Toothless whined as I made my way to the pile of basket and saddle. I couldn't keep toothless in that thing all day long, not to mention he got really itchy and grumpy when we did. I grabbed out my small bag of food and slid to the ground.

I was banged up pretty bad, and I knew Toothless hurt too. My leg was still throbbing, which I was really curious about. The dragon would often be seen limping in a sorts, although I'm sure with time it would heal. He got that wound defending me though. I felt a bit of guilt from that. I bit into a piece f bread, the sun lowering itself in the sky.

It was very peaceful here, and I liked it. We didn't have to do anything, just eat and make sure we didn't freeze at night, which toothless took care of well. We could lounge all day long if we wanted. I smiled at the Toothless, and for a moment he just stared at me. Then he rolled on his back and eyed me from upside down. I laughed loudly, scaring some birds into taking flight. Toothless made a laughing sound as well, almost like he was gasping for air and whining at the same time.

I like it here. And every day, toothless and I were getting closer and closer together.

We needed to travel more though, and put distance between us and the Vikings. And Toothless and I can explore the world to the west. There was sure to be some interesting things there…


	3. Time

Hello! **Thanks to all for the reviews; **and forgive me if I'm not updating my other stories! I'll be busy during the weekend, but I'll cram extra hard! Love to all!

(Btw, my year and one day is tomorrow, for all who knows what that means! Yey me!) I believe a celebration is in order. Write!

~Berk~

Waves crashed on the edge of Berk's rocky shore. It wasn't really a shore, per say. It was more of a rocky wall of a cliff. Still, waves crashed against the hard surface. They sprayed white salty mist on the form of a young girl, hugging herself as she watched the sun set. The sky was freckled with pinks and purples, happy tones that made her want to puke. She scrunched up her usually pretty face in disgust. Lately, she had been in a really bad mood, probably on account of Hiccup leaving.

Astrid's blond hair fluttered in the breeze and she wrapped her thin arms around herself tightly. She spent every afternoon out here, on the cliff. The view was wide, and she could see almost all of the sky. Unless the ones she was waiting for was coming from the other direction, she would see them flying back.

Oh how she wished they would come back. At the same time, she urged them far away. Toothless and Hiccup were the enemy now, and even chief Stoick left with the hunting parties. She smiled a bit at the thought. Of course Hiccup and Toothless were far away by now, off the island. It had been two weeks since they left.

Still, she waited. They wouldn't come back, if they were smart. They would leave, start a new life somewhere off in the world. If they came back, they would be killed. Hiccup would be executed by his own father. Astrid shivered, and not because of the cold. She missed the boy, though she hated to say it. His annoying outline was always there, in the background. But now he was gone, there was nothing there to take his place.

It's true you don't know what you have until it's gone.

She watched the 'Sanctuary' bob, its mast pointing up and then down, and then up…The ship had come in yesterday for repairs, after being attacked by dragons. Gobber was swamped without an apprentice, but the stories the crew brought were cool. The 'Sanctuary' came from the south, down the coast of some far off land. Astrid looked back to the sea in amazement. The Vikings of Berk had never gone further south, and they were the last batch of Vikings to be seen this far. She had heard of stories of their homeland off to the northeast, but everything out there…was a mystery.

It was starting to get dark as Astrid huddled, stars appearing slowly in the night sky. She heard footsteps, but didn't turn her head. She continued to watch the horizon, begging with her heart to see a glimpse of black shadow, but praying with her head they would keep going far away.

"Your mom sent me to get you." Ruffnut's voice echoed from behind the blonde, but she didn't turn. She didn't reply, didn't say a word. The Vikings on this island didn't deserve to hear her words. They would just be shunted aside anyway, like always…Ruffnut scuffled her feet nervously. "Dinner's ready…" Her voice trailed off, and the usually rough and forceful girl fell into feelings of nervousness. Ruffnut sighed and stared at Astrid, the one she had always considered a friend. But after Hiccup left, Astrid had thrown glares at everyone in the village. She tossed aside her axe that day. She used to fight dragons with a fury, and now…Astrid was done.

Ruffnut coughed and opened her mouth to say something. But still, what could she say? Hiccup was a traitor, a dragon friend. He was hiding a Night Fury from the whole village. Nothing she could say would ease the pain radiating from Astrid's still form. Ruffnut couldn't slap some sense into the village, and she couldn't bring Hiccup back. Ruffnut turned and walked away, glancing back at Astrid, her still form seeming to float above the empty air.

The village was almost as silent as Astrid now. Doubt and fear burrowed into everyone's mind, planting seeds of confusion. Their way of life…all of a sudden, with one boy it had all changed. The boy was riding on their worst enemy, being downright friendly towards it. But the part that really got to everyone was that the dragon didn't bite Hiccup's head of as he jumped onto its back. The Night Fury didn't try to kill Hiccup. What were they fighting for anyway?

The Vikings couldn't remember.

~Hiccups~

"_Hic_." That is what came out of my mouth involuntarily as I jumped with the spasm. I groaned and put my hand to my diaphragm, trying to hush it. Toothless attempted, for the thousandth time, to turn his head and look at me as I rode on his back. We were soaring above another small and uninhabited island, following the coastline south. The sea was _huge_ and the more I saw of it, the more I became just a little bit afraid. After all, it was tons and tons of thousands of gallons of water that could smash you into the size of a rock. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but still it can kill you, and just by going swimming and having a cramp… I began to debate with myself again. It was pretty, granted, the way the sun shone off of it. It had a beautiful blue and green color to it. Then again, the tiny little islands we've been finding have gotten more and more scarce, and the longer we look to the horizon the more ocean we see. What happens when we run out of island? When Toothless needs to sleep and can't fly anymore? I'll tell you what, we'll fall to our deaths and we won't get to explore anymore of the world than the tiny islands. Even thinking about our impending doom, I still can't shake the hiccups.

I got the impression Toothless heard that last part. Because suddenly, the world was upside down and turning very, very fast. I bit my lip and didn't, for once, scream. I'd gotten better at trusting Toothless not to throw me off, though I still didn't like it. Thankfully, my latch holding me down began to pull at my hip. I struggled to keep my one eye open and not puke, while Toothless twisted and turned and tried to kill me. I don't know how in the world he had managed to hear that anyway, but it wasn't really an issue right now. I was more worried about puking into my own esophagus.

"Toothless!" I yelled as we twirled in the sky, the wind rushing by my ears like a hurricane. "You can't…actually….shake…hiccups away!" Suddenly, Toothless jerked and we were flying straight again, soaring smoothly. I could already tell my hair was standing straight up.

I took a deep breath and gazed at the water sparkling below up. The sun was barely touching the horizon, but still. We should probably land on that island and get something to eat…Wait, why was I thinking about that? My dragon had suddenly reacted to what I said _in my mind_! What the hell was that about? We had been touching on and off with that…'thing' the past few weeks since we left, though I don't know what to call it! It's like, I'm fishing and I get a flash of Toothless catching a deer and not too much later, he drags a bloody carcass into camp! Or I _swear_ I hear him talking to me! Who else would call me, and I quote, "_square-toothed hatchling_"? But when I ask, he just cocks his head and I can't hear anything! It's random and frustrating and I can't get a good read. The first week, I downright denied it. But as it kept getting more and more frequent, I had to accept it. But how exactly was it possible? Just thinking about it made my head spin. Oh wait, that must have been the twirling in the air in a sad attempt to get rid of my hiccups.

'It seems to have worked.' It felt like Toothless said. I waited for a moment, thinking and breathing deeply. Did it really work? Wow! I've been trying to get rid of those for ho-

"_Hic._" I growled as my body jerked. "Toothless you jinxed me!"

Toothless and I soared across the blue sky, arguing in feelings and pictures now, our own crude way of communication. We were probably like a black dot, an eagle or a bird dancing amid the clouds. We had no need to hide anymore; we could fly in the bright light with no fear. I laughed as Toothless sent me an image of him eating my head. Absolutely no one knows me better than the black reptile I was currently sitting on, and vice versa. I sent him an image of scratching his chin, making him fall through the air. He retaliated with me falling as well, helpless against the air. Then I thought of him catching me. Because of course he would, even if we were arguing. He wouldn't let me die! Toothless conjured an image of me on the ground, a pile of mush and blood, though I detected a hint of a smile in it.

This was the way it was now. Toothless and I, wandering amid the islands and the sea, arguing with imagination. And…I was happy. I didn't have to prove myself to anybody; I didn't have to hide my best friend. This freedom was elating. Still, I thought of Astrid late at night, gazing at the stars. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlut…I wondered how they thought of me. Did they hate me too; think I was the enemy along with the rest of the villagers?

Toothless snapped me out my thoughts by dropping a few feet suddenly. I cursed and slapped him half heartedly as we evened out. Then, a smile spread across my face.

"Ready?" Toothless tensed, excited. I could feel his happiness bubbling into mine. This was the place he felt most at home, in the sky, soaring like the amazing animal he was. And he was damn proud of it to. "Ego-filled reptile." I muttered. He whipped around and tried to glare at me. Suddenly, I shifted my left foot into the third position, and Toothless caught on quickly.

We were diving towards the ground, the wind roaring through my ears. I laughed out loud as tears filled my eye, and Toothless let out a ground-shaking roar. It still echoed in my ears as we tilted up at the last moment, skimming the water below. I twisted my foot and at the same time, Toothless turned. We were flying as one, not two separate beings, but as one whole. He couldn't fly without me, and I without him. We were free when we were together.

And no one would ever take that away from us again.

~Stoick~

A dark shadow occupied the dim room. It shifted its weight for a moment before falling back into its stoic silence. A candle flickered near the door, the only thing casting a glow on the room. No one came to knock on the door, no one barged in. No one was in the back room, no one making noises or dropping things clumsily. There was an eerie silence as the Chief of the village sat, waiting. He was waiting for an answer, a sign from the gods. He tried not to tear up as he thought of his son, his bloody eye. The wound he had caused. The questions he had were vast, much like himself. He remembered his son running forward, displaying a bravery he would have never thought possible from the boy. Hiccup put himself before the axe, letting it fall on him instead of that…

A few weeks ago, he would have called it a beast. And now...he wasn't sure. Stoick the vast was always sure; he always knew what to do. And now, he wasn't. The man was at a lost. He had lost his son, and for what? What was more important than his own blood? That dragon….Stoick growled to himself, breaking the deafening silence across the room. That dragon, somehow he had taken control of his boy's mind! It had to be it, right? Hiccup would never betray them for an animal.

But was that all? Was the answer really that simple? Was the dragon an animal? He scolded himself, of course it was! How could it not be? How could generations of Vikings just be…wrong? That was the same thoughts that plagued his village, the same thing that was tearing his people apart. It had been almost a month now, and Stoick could not gain control of his village, his home. They argued, they panicked, Vikings hurting Vikings. There was a hurricane of questions no one had an answer to.

This was why Stoick was waiting. He had to find an answer, not only for himself but for the villagers as well. He prayed for the gods to send a sign, something he could use! The gods answered his silent prayers as a loud crack was heard behind him. Stoick whirled around, searching the dark room with wide eyes. Slowly, and delicately, he went and retrieved the candle from the door. Creeping back to the wall, he shed the light on the lump on the ground.

His ship, a tiny replica of it sat on its side, having been knocked over by who-knows-what. He picked it up gingerly, thinking desperately. What did it mean? What would he have to do? What did this have to do with the dragons? The Vikings were nothing without an enemy, nothing without a heading…He examined the tiny boat. They would travel somewhere? Explore new lands maybe? That might work…Stoick rubbed his huge, red beard. A pursuit of something might just be a good enough distraction to pull people together!

The man rose with a deep breath and stormed out of the house. He walked hastily out the door, leaving it wide open. The light from the moon shone inside, dancing along the hardwood floors. It touched on a small figure beneath a chair. Stoick's figurine of a dead dragon had fallen, knocking off the ship as it did so. The dragon, laying on its back and eyes closed, had been grazed on the corner of the tiny ship.

The dragon had a scratch on its right eye. It lay there beneath the chair, forgotten and alone.

~Hiccup~

"Tooth, stop struggling!" I pulled his leg over more, and he pulled back harshly in revenge, sending me sprawling across the ground. I stood slowly, eyeing him. Toothless was refusing to let me touch his gauze! The black dragon hunched over, watching me. I moved closer, he stepped back. I tried to circle around, but he followed me. I began to hunch over too, eyeing the bandage that was my aim. This was going to hurt. I leapt forward and Toothless roared, dancing away.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I have a past time of wrestling dragons. But it has been three weeks, almost a month! And he still wouldn't let me see it? What if it was infected? I'm sure it's fine by now, and I thought he would be grateful to have it off! What a stubborn reptile!

We did end up wrestling though. We rolled over on the ground, not caring about mud or grass or rocks. I did end up pinning him for a few seconds, until he flapped his wings and clipped me on the chin. Toothless was strong, and he had an unfair advantage! He was a giant, flying, flame-spitting reptile for Odin's sake! My clothes were torn, I could tell already. And after living in the wilderness for three weeks, it's no wonder. Not surprisingly, me wrestling with Toothless did not help that fact. I finally managed to grab the gauze and fumble with the knot while trying to fend off Toothless with one hand. Thankfully, he wouldn't ever really hurt me. After all, whenever I got hurt, he did too. I learned this after I noticed Toothless one day squinting in his right eye. He said it hurt, like a burning pain. Like my right eye.

I pulled the knot, untying the gauze, and yanked the wrap off. Toothless leapt off me as soon as I finished my goal, sighing. I set the wrap on the ground and walked towards him. He didn't back up to much, in fact he finally just plopped down and began to lick the wound. Finally, I sat down next to him, folding my legs beneath me.

He growled whenever I got close, so I waited. The sun beat down on my back and my legs started to go numb. My thighs pressed together, almost completely healed. Although my eye only seems to have gotten worse. It was painful too, and I still couldn't open it. Every time I looked at it, it was a new color! It was swollen a lot now, and a shiny red. There was a bright white to it now, the lighter parts being the actually wound. It was leaking now to, more than just blood. At first, it was white liquid. Then it was white puss.

Even I could tell that wasn't a good sign.

Finally, when my back was starting to sweat, Toothless stopped licking his leg. He gazed up at me, and then let out a huff of air. I smiled, needing no images to understand that one. I inched closer, putting my hands on either side of his scaled leg and staring at the big gash. It was healing a bit; I could see the sinews pulling themselves together. Though it was still painful, I could feel the throbbing in my leg as well. The gash was pinkish, and not as bad off as my eye. Still, it would be helpful to have an expert eye take a look. Then again, who in the world would look at a dragon leg and think "Oh that gash looks like it needs-"? I leaned behind me, felt around on the grass for a moment before coming up with the dirty gauze. I tried to scrub it best I could, and then began to wrap it around Toothless' leg wound.

"You'll be okay." I whispered, almost as if I was saying it to myself. I felt Toothless' confusion as he noted my eye was worse than his leg. "Yeah yeah." I tied it off at the side and then stood slowly. Toothless followed suit, gazing at me curiously. I smiled and brushed my growing hair out of my eyes. "Time to find a village. I need new clothes." I laughed as he stretched forward his head and grabbed my shirt delicately between his teeth. He agreed, thinking it smelled bad and had holes in it. I frowned for a moment and went to grab the saddle and basket. Why could I only hear his specific words only rarely? I strapped the leather to his back and began to belt it in. Oh well, I'm sure we'll grow closer in time. Like we have been these past weeks together.

After all, we had all the time in the world, right?


	4. Sick

This story will be moving faster than my other ones, which are mostly about character development. This is more about the events and such…Anyway! Review please so I can get better!

~Hiccup~

I stumbled off Toothless, my feet thudding to the ground. I swayed for a moment before my knees thumped to the ground as well. I felt Toothless' nose press into my side asking, no, _begging_ me to tell him what was wrong. Honestly, I didn't know.

It had been a month since we left Berk. We had traveled a long way, since we were flying every other day. Although we relaxed and just hung out the other days too. Toothless and I would fish for fun, which was awesome. Toothless would dive in and out of the water, snatching up fish while I rode of his back, practically naked except for shorts. We wrestled a lot, and I had gotten better! Stronger by at least a little. We were changing, both of us. We were closer to each other, forming a bond that couldn't be broken. We were with each other all day, every day and all night as well. I foraged for fruit on our little islands, with Toothless watching me curiously. He didn't understand why I liked fruit in the first place. I told him he wouldn't understand, because he was a meat eater. That just got more questions. Though through all this change, one thing stayed the same.

I still couldn't open my right eye. For a few nights, I stayed up worrying if I would ever see out of it again. Things were disorienting with only one eye, though I got used to it quickly enough, with Toothless' help. I was sure it was infected. My appearance was ragged too; my hair was grown out below my ears now. My clothes were barely scraps with holes and dirty as can be. The freedom was good, _is_ good. But something is defiantly wrong.

My head was fuzzy, like it was stuffed with cotton. I could barely hear anything at all, and my tongue felt heavy. My one eye was watery, and I swear the earth was moving beneath my feet! The world was hot too, and I simply couldn't get used to the slight temperature change the further south we got. I was used to snow and freezing cold, not mildly chilly! And I was so close…I struggled to stand, using Toothless as support. He gladly put his head beneath my hands and used his tail to steady me on the other side. I just had to get to the other side of the island, but could I do it without Toothless' help?

We had spotted a village. Finally, I could see a healer! I stumbled over to the basket, rummaging and finding my money sack. I stuffed it in my pocket as I used numb fingers to unbuckle Toothless' saddle. It slid off him with a thunk, neither of us caring. I was too sore, to numb. Toothless was to worried to look at anything but me. I just had to get to the village! Panic was coursing through my veins, but as I eyed the forest, it faded into a dull throb. My will power drained away, and though Toothless egged me, I slid to the ground beside him.

I felt Toothless sit down beside me, watching. I let my body fall back, hitting the grass with a soft thunk. My one eye gazed at the stars, making swirls in my mind. The lights moved and twinkled, streaking through my vision. _I just want a little nap…_I tried to tell Toothless, though my tongue wasn't moving from its heavy resting place_. I'll go to the village tomorrow…maybe buy some ointment or medicine from the healer for your leg…_My eye closed softly and I heard a whine beside me. Don't worry, I tried to say. I'll be alright…

I sunk into darkness, letting its cool relief flow through me. I willingly asked for it to alleviate, lessen my pain, and it did so marvelously. I sank deeper into the darkness, feeling Toothless lie beside me and wrap his wing around my cold body.

It's just a fever….

I'll wake up soon, Toothless,

So don't worry-

~Forest~

Toothless paced beside the pale boy, his frail form still and weak. His red hair was plastered to his face, cheeks now red to match. His brilliant green eyes were shut, and darting around like in a bad dream. The black dragon looked to his human in alarm. It was mid-day now! Usually, Hiccup wakes up when Toothless lifts his wing and shins light on the boy. But not today. Last night, he promised he would wake up! He whined again, pleading to the unconscious boy, who even being awake sometimes couldn't hear him.

'Wake!' He growled and pushed his nose against Hiccup's side. 'Arise!' His human didn't move. He didn't even groan, or scold him and go back to sleep. He didn't roll over, covering his eyes with his arm like he usually would. Nothing is normal now. Toothless was worried. Worried out of his mind. He knew something bad was happening, a sense of foreboding was making his scales itch. Hiccup wasn't moving. And all he could do was wait. He hated being useless.

The dragon paced the camp, back and forth until he had made a line where he had been walking. He started to bite his lip, a habit he picked up from Hiccup. Glancing at the boy, Toothless ripped off a huge tree limb and started to gnaw on it like a dog would a bone. The sun began to set in the sky, and though Toothless didn't have to eat every day; he felt like he needed to today. So he left the small boy in the clearing, hoping nothing would happen. Toothless hunted and stalked a pack of deer, finally gorging himself on a buck and its small one. He ate silently, in the woods. When he came back, Hiccup was exactly where he left him. He began to pace more, scratching up dirt and biting trees. He sharpened his claws on a poor sapling. He even began to gather twigs gently in his mouth and setting them in a pile near Hiccup, like he had seen him do. The sun was going down as he lay beside the unconscious boy.

'Look, I made a fire so you can keep your warmth inside that pitiful shell of yours.' No response. Toothless puckered his lips, and with the normal whine, he shot the pile of twigs with a blue ball. They lit almost immediately. He turned his head to his human, but still he didn't move. The sun was casting pink light across the sky and Toothless went back to pacing again. He paced and gnawed on the clearing, worried about Hiccup. Though his stomach was full, he considered hunting again just to get some violence out. He gazed to the boy, now lit by only the fire. The sun had long since gone down again, the second sunset since Hiccup had fallen asleep.

Toothless curled up beside the boy sadly, wrapping his wing around him and creating a tent. He hoped that maybe, just maybe he'd wake up, bouncing around like always and laughing with that twinkle in his eye. Maybe one more night of sleep would cure him. Maybe the hotness radiating from him would cool down. Maybe Hiccup would wake up, stumble to the village and find a cure. Toothless pushed the limp body closer to him, touching his side and closing his eyes. If only Hiccup would wake up. The dragon didn't like him being asleep for so long. It was wrong; it was a sign of something else, he was sure. He just couldn't figure out what. If Hiccup could wake up, everything would be fine. He briefly wondered what he would do if Hiccup never woke up. Toothless shook his head quickly before his panic could develop into sadness, heart pounding, crippling sadness. How could he go on without Hiccup? It didn't seem possible, like reaching into space searching for prey. It simply wasn't possible to live without Hiccup. He knew this, like he knew a rock was good for sharpening claws. It was simply true.

Like the sun rose every morning from the same direction, and set in the opposite horizon. Like a deer follows tracks made by its father and its father's father. These were simple truths. As the trees shed their leaves signals the the cold. If Hiccup were to leave form the world, Toothless would be not far behind. He couldn't bear the pain, even to think of it. So he lay as the fire died and its embers cast ghostly forms upon the grass. His wing around the boy protectively, a strange whine began to creep up from his throat. He tired to silence himself, but the whine raised more. And soon, Toothless was howling, crying into the sky. His high-pitched noise spread through the forest, causing birds to flee from the heart-breaking sound.

His rider was not waking. Why wouldn't Hiccup wake up? What enemy was ravening inside the boy's body, the enemy Toothless could not fight? He hated it. He couldn't help him.

But who could?

~Stoick~

Stoick the Vast stood, hands on his hips, watching over the docks. Vikings rushed from here and there, carrying boxes and crates, weapons and food. Some were herding sheep, scolding and yelling the whole time. The docks were a frenzy, shouts and voices clattering among the group. The Vikings were once again working together, like a well-run ship. It's only been a month since Hiccup left, but as Stoick surveyed the docks, he saw his village working again. They were united under one banner, and their usual Viking demeanor was back.

It had worked. And just like that, the village was united. Well, most of them. He glanced up to see Astrid, watching with folded arms. Stoick had tried to convince the young prodigy to come with them; it was an honor of course. But she refused, and left him more confused than ever. But he couldn't think of that. He couldn't think of Hiccup, he couldn't think of the dragon. He couldn't even think of the dragon nest. Stoick had found a worthy pursuit of the Vikings. After talking with the crew of _serenity_, after filling them with ale, their tongues loosened. A war, a place far away with riches to be given to any who helped. Yes, that was a worthy pursuit. They just had to get away from here. Actually, it was Stoick who begged to leave. He couldn't be here any longer.

Everything reminded him of Hiccup. The house, the blacksmiths. Even the trees and the rocks. He remembered scolding the boy for climbing trees, saying 'look daddy I can fly!' He remembered telling Hiccup to hit his head on the rock, and his quizzical looks. Suddenly, he was everywhere. Hiccup was his son after all, how could Stoick have done all that, been such a horrible father…everything that was a fluke, a flaw in Hiccup, was now a unique view. He was special. Why couldn't he see that? If he had, maybe Hiccup wouldn't have fallen into the dragon's trap. Damn Night Fury, taking away his son…Stoick shook his head. Now was no time to be thinking of things he could not change. Now, he had to be strong as a leader. They were going to the land to the east. In the East, there was a battle readying, a battle of glory and riches. Suddenly, there was a voice behind him.

"I heard from Ruffnut that the battle might involve dragons." He looked over his shoulder to see the sad girl, Astrid behind him. Her eyes were watching him with a look of betrayal, hurt and loneliness. Although he felt the same, and he knew his eyes reflected that same pain.

"Yes it does. Would you like to come?" He asked Astrid, and almost immediately she shook her head. For a moment, she stared at him, and abruptly she turned on her heels and left. He shrugged and turned back to the docks. Yes the battle had dragons, but what didn't? It wasn't too far either, the only reason the_ sanctuary_ knew of it was because they passed and were denied port. He smiled as a Viking past him, clapping him on the back. Said Viking stopped beside him, surveying the docks as well.

"It was a good plan." Gobber said, scratching his leg.

Stoick turned to him, one eyebrow raised. "Was? It _is_ a good plan! Look at this!" He swung his hand towards the docks. "It's happening! We're together again, as Vikings!" he almost roared. Gobber, used to his friend's outburst, didn't flinch.

Instead a small smile spread across his face. "Yeh, it is. But it's not bringing Hiccup back, nor is it solving this problem with the dragons, is it?"

Stoick folded his arms. "There is no problem with the dragons. Everything…will continue as it always has."

"Righ'." Gobber yawned and set his hand on Stoick's shoulder. "Well, I miss the boy, nonetheless." There was a pause as Stoick didn't answer. "Of course, you have a duty. You need to be chief, right?" The chief nodded hesitantly.

"Yes I do. And I will do that job until I die."

Gobber sighed and began to walk off. "Well, there's always Snotlut."

Was there? Stoick huffed as his best friend shuffled away. But as long as he held this job, he would always be torn. He couldn't love Hiccup and banish him at the same time, could he? But then…he gazed out to the villagers. They would follow him wherever, and right now they needed guidance. Although right now, he needed a distraction. So, to the east. To the tiny island calling for help. To riches and glory and distractions.

To battle.

~Hiccup~

The world was black, and hot. But was there really a world right now? I couldn't feel anything except for the burning through my veins. I was blind, and deaf. I wanted to move….but I don't know where I am, or where my body was. I was struggling though, fighting. Fighting what? I don't know, but I knew as soon as I relaxed my muscles and gave up, something bad would happen. So I fought. I struggled to stay awake, conscious in one way or another. It was so dark. I wanted to reach out for comfort, something. I wanted my _dad_, I realized. Maybe he didn't love me anymore, but if he did…I wanted to cry out for him. Where was Toothless? Why wasn't he here with me?

Suddenly, I felt something beside the dark and the hot. I couldn't tell quite what it was, but it was a presence of sorts. It was comforting and familiar. It was wild and strange as it brushed against my mind, pushing for something. It was deep and shallow at the same time, child-like and a thousand years old. It was cool, like Toothless' scales when he lay in the shade…I felt an image being forced into my mind. I wanted to repel it; I was still in battle mode. But the presence coaxed, comforted me. I was grateful for it. I asked it not to leave, please not to leave. I didn't want to be alone. The presence told me never, he would never leave my side, even in death.

'Way to be dramatic, buddy.'

I heard his strange little laugh for a moment. 'Just…stay awake! Listen to my voice.'

I wanted to scrunch up my face, but I couldn't feel anything. 'As long as you're saying something interesting…'

There was a pause and a hint of panic. 'AHH! What do I talk about? You know practically everything about me!'

'I do, don't I?' a hint of pride touched my voice. 'Oh well…'

'Hiccup?' Toothless sounded panicked. 'Your voice is fading!'

'Sorry…I don't have enough energy…'

'Damn it you scale-less mammal! You can't leave!' I saw him, in his mind's eye, putting his head on my stomach.

'I'll wake up soon, Toothless. So don't worry…'

'How can you let an invisible enemy hurt you? I can't protect you in this one! Fight it!'

'I love you Tooth, you know that…right?'

'…I love you to Hiccup.' There was a pause. 'SO WAKE UP!'

I smiled in my mind. I was sure I was going to wake up. It was just so hot, so burningly hot. Did we go further south? Toothless faded from my mind, cursing me the whole way. But with his fading, the heat faded as well. I no longer felt like my skin was melting. Now I was just being cooked slowly, roasted over a fire… I wonder what dad was doing right now… did he hate me? Did he still love me? I wish I could know… the blackness swirled, and there were…colors? Brown and green mashed together until I saw a scene…

We were in the forest, next to a huge bolder. I had followed Dad reluctantly, knowing something was wrong, or about to be. He stopped and put his hand on the boulder.

"Son, I want you to hit your head on this boulder."

I gaped at him. Has he lost his mind? "W-why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why doesn't matter. Just do it."

I blinked and stared at the boulder. "I'll break my skull open!"

He sighed and turned, disappointed. "You'll never be a Viking, son! You can't follow the simplest orders, you can't handle and axe…I don't know what to do." He slid his head across his face.

I eyed the boulder. If what I heard was right, then if I hit my head against this boulder, I could become a Viking? Would I get better at everything? Dad wouldn't be disappointed in me anymore? Mom would be proud of me too? I was the chief's son, and all the other kids laughed at me because I wasn't strong, or buff or even fat! I couldn't swing the fake, wooden axes they give us. I failed at 'Dungeons and Dragons' every time! Astrid, the new girl, hated me already! Maybe if I could do it, she would like me…Suddenly, I was walking up to the stone, determined. Dad had his back turned, but when he heard the thunk he whirled around in surprise. He saw me standing there, with a strange grin on my face and blood pouring down my forehead.

"I want to make you and Mommy proud! I'll be a Viking, Daddy! Just like…you-" The world faded to black, and I remember Dad picking me up with a sigh. Was I still not good enough? I had hit it, was that not what he wanted? How did I fail the test? Was I not to become a Viking, ever? I woke up in bed, the moonlight pouring into my bedroom. Mom was yelling at Dad. I didn't understand why. Why wasn't I a good Viking? Mom came into my room a while later, her long red hair swinging. She put her hand on my head and sat down beside me. I don't think she knew I was awake. So I spoke up.

"I just wanted to be a Viking." She jumped, and then smoothed out my hair in a motherly fashion.

"Oh Hiccup. You don't need to be a Viking to make me proud."

I blinked at her face in the night. I couldn't see it very well, and every time I tried to remember it, it slipped away…

"Then what do I do?"

She chuckled. "You can do anything! You can be a blacksmith, you can be a fisherman. You can be a sheepherder-"

"Can I fly, mommy?"

She leaned in and kissed my forehead. "You can fly Hiccup."

The memory faded away. Yeah, I can fly mom. You don't know how true that is now…I wanted to see her face, so I could remember her again. I can fly, and I'm flying with my best friend. Its amazing Mom! The wind through your hair, the sights…you can see everything! The world faded to black again, and the heat returned. My skin itched, my blood boiled. My thoughts got fuzzy; I couldn't think straight…I forgot what was happening to me. Where was I?

And why did it hurt?

~Forest~

Toothless roared as he lost contact with his human. He swore with all the words he knew, plus some he had heard from Hiccup. He stomped on the ground, making big indents on the grass. He barreled into a tree, cracking it painfully. He snapped off another branch and began to chew on it as he eyed his Hiccup. This was the third day, and he kept getting hotter and hotter. Last night, Toothless had pressed his forehead against Hiccup's only to recoil in shock. He was really, really hot! How was it possible for such a small body to gather so much heat? Now, Toothless was really worried. But what could he do? If anything?

Toothless spit out what was left of the limb in his mouth and crept up beside Hiccup. It was that wound on his eye, he knew it. That wound has caused so many problems, it even made Toothless' eye hurt. He lifted his paw, claw out and hovering above the young boy. He had to see…He grabbed the gauze gently, and took a deep breath. The dragon pulled with his claw, ripping the gauze across Hiccup's eye. It was worse. Puffy, swollen to three times its size. The eye's wound was leaking white fluid, and clear fluid, and a little blood. And it smelled horrible! Toothless recoiled from the smell alone. It smelled like rotting flesh! The dragon knew, the longer they leave it, the worse Hiccup would get and the less likely he'll be able to see out of that eye! He had to do something! The duo had worlds to explore, places to see! They had barely gotten off Berk! And now, what? Toothless had to do something, anything.

If he didn't Hiccup would die.


	5. Shadow

I'm back peeps! And with news! I just got into a new awesome anime! "Black Cat" and it was originally a manga but still. Read it and weep (literally-I did.) Oh, and "Girl's Generation" (Or SNSD- so-nya-shi-de) AWESOME! All thanks to bff Bre. So the same stuff: Review please so I can get better; and I don't own How to Train Your Dragon, though I wish I did. EPIC

~Toothless~

He snaked through the forest, his scales brushing against tree bark and making a hissing sound as they ground together. Toothless' claws made small indents in the soft ground, and he stopped, eying the sky. In his teeth held a small brown pouch he had stolen off of Hiccup, and his yellow eyes darted across the brightening sky. The world was getting lighter, turning pink as the sun rose above the horizon. His head swiveled back, looking behind him. There was a glint of something bronze, almost impossible to see against the brown dirt unless you were looking for it. Toothless gauged the distance and nodded to himself. It was just far enough for a human's eye to pick up. He raised his paw, hesitated, and sliced downward, leaving a large scratch mark in the dirt. He opened his mouth and the pouch fell with a small clatter of coin-against-coin.

Gingerly and with great care, the dragon opened the pouch. It had taken forever for him to get the stupid thing untangled the first time, and as he went it was getting gradually easier. Toothless pried the top open and tipped the bag forward. He blinked and waited for a moment. Nothing came out. He growled and tipped it even more forward, trying to get something to fall from the opening. Still, nothing. He let out an annoyed hiss and shook the thing upside down. Coins tumbled out, clattering against each other and spraying across the ground.

Toothless' black paw was running down his face as he eyed the skies. If there really were gods up there, as Hiccup says, they must hate him too.

This was going to take a while.

~Cove~

A dark haired man stepped out from his house, taking a deep breath of air. The sun was high in the sky, it being about noon now. The light reflected off his shaggy hair, sticking up in so many directions people thought it defied gravity. He could never get it to stay normal, like when it was wet. Seriously, he and his wife tried everything! He licked a finger and began to pick at his hair. Tree sap, spit, some mix created by the elder from insect guts and things he didn't even want to know about.

His hair was an embarrassment. He still had an amazing reputation as the best healer on the four islands, his being the furthest north of the others. The villagers told him to move, explore his talents in a bigger and better town. More people who need help, more money for him, better schools for the young one soon to be coming…

He sighed as he thought of his pregnant wife. Of course, they weren't really sure whether or not she was really pregnant, it was just a hunch. But of course, in a town of this size gossip was faster than the smell of bar-be-que. The man sighed again as he wrung his hands together. The two were thinking about naming the child, if it was a girl Amber, and if it was a boy they would name him…well, they haven't thought of a name yet for a boy. His head snapped up as a blond woman opened the front door to their small yet comfortable home, poking her head outside. Her blue eyes darted around as she opened her mouth with a wide smile.

"Oman, time for supper!" He smiled as he walked into view, hovering by the corner of their house.

"One moment Ophelia." The blond smiled and darted back inside with energy never ending. Oman smiled and plucked at his hair again as he thought. He wondered what color hair the baby would have…

There was a rustle in the woods beside him, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw a dark shape dart. He turned his unruly head towards the forest, searching with suspicious eyes. If some one was sneaking around again trying to steal pain-relieving herbs…The shape darted again and he took a hesitant step towards the dark forest. There was a slight glimmering of something on the ground. He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. What in Odin's name-

"Oman!" Ophelia barked from her perch near the door frame. She giggled as Oman jumped and swiveled back.

"Honey!"

"Are you going to eat tonight or not?" She chuckled again and swung her blond hair across her shoulder.

Oman glanced back to the forest. "Give me a second baby, I'll be right in." His wife let out a loud sign and danced back into the house, leaving Oman with the trees, the glimmering shape on the ground and the mysterious shadow darting around. It was like it was trying to get his attention. He eyed the shape as it moved again, rustling leaves. He cleared his throat and stepped closer.

"Anybody there?" The rustling stopped, and then with a snap it was gone. The shape was nowhere to be seen, and after a moment Oman focused his brown eyes on the sparkling object. Had they dropped it? Or was the person hiding in the forest trying to trick him? But for some reason, Oman continued on. He slowly ducked beneath a branch and scoped down, eyeing the glint. His mouth opened in surprise as he saw a bronze coin. Sure, it was really just pocket change, but why in the world would it be in the forest? Oman plucked up the coin and dusted it off. It was slightly slimy, like it had been in something's mouth…

"Ophelia! Are you up for a little forest expedition honey?"

~Toothless~POV~

FINALLY! And I mean finally! Like, it's about freaking time! For the love of flesh eating slugs and everything slow, HE WAS SLOWER! Couldn't he just feel the anxiety I am EMITTING right now? It's making my scales itch just to think about how long I've left Hiccup alone, fighting the invisible battle…What a healer, he and his plump wife were slower than a snail with a broken leg! They stumbled through the woods, the male holding the female's elbow as if it was some sort of comfort. Why would he do that? If any female dragon got a HINT of chivalrous action, they would burn any guy's face off! I shivered thinking about it.

I rolled my eyes as they finally scoped down and added yet another bronze coin to their pile. Figures all humans to be insanely interested in shiny metals. Maybe Hiccup would be mad that I used his metal coins to lure the healer to him, but come on! What else was I really supposed to do? Waltz in and ASK for a healer? Of course, that would have been easier, if they could understand Dragon speak like Hiccup. It took me forever to find those two! But, thankfully they smelled like plants and gross ointments, which I gathered was medicine. I stretched my legs and began an easy stroll following the healers. Did I mention they were really, really slow? Even slower than Hiccup and he was the clumsiest human I have ever seen! Thinking of him made my chest hurt…

Although Hiccup had made real progress, though he couldn't see it himself. He was still the skinny little seventeen year old but was no longer_ so_ skinny. Though still thin and agile, the boy was no longer gawky and weak. We wrestled quite frequently, and through the month we've been gone from Berk, he's gained more self respect than he ever would have on that god-forsaken rock. Hiccup was standing tall…or he would be if he were standing…

I rolled my eyes and focused on my walking. I was being sneaky so the healers wouldn't see me; if they did they might not find Hiccup, and this was my only good idea! My paws barely touched the earth and I moved with the grace of a natural animal. I pushed and shoved my worry, my fear and anxiety away, instead focusing on the wind in the trees or the scents in the air. My ears perked as the man and woman picked up a gold coin and gasped. Come on. By now they must know this is a hide and seek treasure hunt type thing. Actually, it was kind of fun.

I had to restrain myself from running to Hiccup's sweating form as he lay in the clearing. I sat on my hind legs and clenched my jaw as the man noticed him first.

"Ophelia…"

~Break~

Oman gazed at the boy lying on the ground, barely conscious of the word that escaped his lips. The Teen's red hair was shaggy and frayed, spreading out of his head like a crown of fire. His clothes were tattered and torn, and they looked worn from not only age but simple wear, like he had been living in the forest for a month. He had no idea it was true. Oman was still too far away to see the white strip across the boy's face, so he stepped forward. Suddenly, his wife's hand was on his arm. He turned, surprised; only to see her staring at something that was not the boy. He followed her gaze and stifled a gasp.

The shadow had followed them. He could barely make out its shape, but it looked to be a huge form. It jerked, like it noticed them watching. And then the shadow was…gone? They stood there for a moment, staring at the spot the hulking figure once stood. Oman's brain was working overtime. Someone was very shy, but smart enough to lure them out of their house using a money trail…whoever it was, the red haired boy was obviously important.

The teen let out a painful groan, and Oman jerked out of his thoughts. Both he and Ophelia walked briskly forward, already in doctor mode. They could not just sit and watch as a boy, not even a man, suffered in pain. The two worked furiously with what little tools they had. Ophelia let down her shawl beside the boy, and with a heave they pushed him onto it, his red hair flopping wildly. Each spouse grabbed an end of the shawl and pulled, heaving the boy into the air.

They didn't notice the whining shadow stalk them all the way home.

They stumbled through the forest nosily, the blonde haired woman being quite strong and supporting the mysterious boy very well. Ophelia never took her eyes off the boy, saying a silent prayer as they made their way back. The teen had his one eye, the left one, squinting in pain. The other one was covered by gauze, and it bulged in a foreboding nature. Both the spouses were focused on him with worry. Thoughts ran through their heads.

Was he going to be alright?

Who was the boy?

Who was the shadow that brought them there?

Whose money was that?

What was hidden behind the gauze? And more importantly,

_Was he going to live?_

They pulled the boy closer to their village. Oman kicked open the door and lead Ophelia inside their hut. Toothless, crouched and ears back with worry, scrunched his eyes as they disappeared from view with his most precious thing. He didn't believe in gods, no way no how. He was a dragon, for goodness sake. But for the sake of Hiccup, he prayed. He felt ridiculous, begging to the heavens. But he still did. He begged for his friend's life. He let his worry and anxiety fill him, overflowing into the world. He hurt, his leg twinges at the old injury but what hurt the most was his heart. How could one boy make all the difference in his life? How could a dragon like him, the most cunning and fearsome be transformed by such a small mammal? He didn't care, really. All he cared about was Hiccup. If he made it out of that hut alive, Toothless promised the grass he would never, ever let anything happen to him again.

Oman and Ophelia slid the boy's limp body onto the spare bed upstairs. They sighed as the weight was transferred. For a moment, all was still and quiet as they contemplated what to do next. Then they both jerked as a long and mournful howl came from the forest. Oman stared in wonder as it sounded like it was coming from just outside the window…It stopped shortly, and a clatter was heard form the village. People coming from houses, running into the woods already with weapons. Others huddled together, talking animatedly. Oman just looked at his wife with worry.

They were in too deep already. Whatever that creature, that shadow, was, it wanted the red haired boy.

Still, he couldn't leave him. The boy was in pain, hurt. And no self-respecting healer could just leave a helpless body in pain. Nor could he turn him in for his suspicions. Ophelia waited, hands to her throat. She didn't know what to do, except wait for her husband to make a decision. She knew he would do what is right.

Finally, Oman nodded. "Get a wet rag, two pillows, extra blankets, a knife, and please crush up some Ashwagandha and Birch and put them in my green bowl downstairs." The blond turned to go, determined as her husband was to help the teenager. Oman set a hand on her shoulder. "Darling, we can't-"

She swirled, a light smile dancing on her lips. "Of course, tell no one of the boy or the shadow." Oman smiled and dropped his hand. He watched the woman go in fascination. Really, they worked well together and almost thought with one mind. The smiled faded from him as he realized their situation. The shadow outside, the hurt boy inside who was tied to it, and the wound that made him sick…

Oman turned slowly and dropped to his knees beside the boy's bed. He would have to go buy some pineapple and grind up the stem for the Bromelain, but for now…He reached forward and began to tenderly remove the gauze from the boy's right eye, ignoring the excited yells from outside. Apparently, they had found some tracks of something…but no, he was ignoring them. Oman continued to pull on the gauze, peeling it off red, pussy and oozing skin. He crinkled his nose at the smell. No wonder the boy was unconscious. His hope dropped along with the bloody gauze hitting the floor. He stood with a sigh, wondering what would happen to the village if the boy didn't make it…Maybe he should take that job on the other island…

Ophelia burst into the room, carrying a knife and some pillows. She gasped as she saw the boy's wound. It was red and inflamed, growing larger by the second. A huge line ran across his eye, and she wondered who would do such a thing to a sweet teen. Oman gently took the knife and pillows, setting them down as he led her to a chair. She slumped into it, never taking her eyes off the boy.

"Ophelia?"

"y-yes?"

"I don't think he'll make it."

She stared at him with amazed eyes. "No, he has to! He's just a boy!"

Oman shook his head. "The infection is to great, he-"

"You can't give up!" she cried. "He's so young, barely a man! He is still alive, and god damn anyone who won't fight to save him!"

The brunette looked stunned, pulling back from his wife. "He's a stranger Ophelia, he-"

"No." She stood fiercely. "If you won't then I will." She paused, letting her anger seep into her husband. She was a healer born, a healer at heart. She had to help the boy, and she wasn't going to give up so easily. "I'll take his eye if I have to." She was never going to give up on such a boy, a boy who could be someone's son! She stormed out of the room, leaving a stunned husband behind. She would save the boy, who else could? And after all, what coincidence was it that he landed on this island? And they were the ones to save him? It couldn't be coincidence. She roughly grabbed some herbs on her downstairs window. What if that was her son? She would want someone to fight for him. Ophelia bit her lip. She had to save him.

No,_ they_ had to save him.


	6. Dissapointed?

I kind of wrote this chapter already, but then I got stuck so here it is...written again for the second time. Thanks for hanging in there and waiting for this while I did some stuff!

Love to all-sorry for the_ short_ chapter.

~Toothless~

Fifteen suns. Three and a half paws worth of waiting. Seemingly endless time stretches forever, as I simply survive. Or uh, fifteen days as my rider would say. That's what, two weeks in human terms? And what a long two weeks it has been.

We were finally free. First I was freed by Hiccup from the nest, but at a price. My flight, a price I was willing to pay for the friendship gained. I was freed from loneliness, being the last of my kind, by one human who was just as lonely as I. Just as different, just as exiled. Hiccup and I were freed from the Vikings, the small island we were trapped in. Hiccup freed me from the queen, and I freed him from his loneliness. But we freed ourselves of Berk by nothing but the strength in our limbs. We took the leap into darkness and freedom, but at what price now?

We have gained so much already. And each time it seemed karma demanded retribution, a price to be paid. And somehow those prices lead us to a deeper and better being of ourselves, and more freedom. And then Karma demanded more. And so the cycle continued.

If I ever meet karma, I am ripping his (or her) head off and mounting it on my tail.

For Hiccup and I to be released into the world and out from Berk, his wound was the price paid. How was that fair? So long I have stomped and demanded, roared and tore trees from their roots and dirt from the ground. How was it fair for Hiccup to bear this wound?

Though he wasn't alone. I too, had a wound from that battle so long ago. My leg still bothered me, and though I often licked and cared for it, it still burned and tortured me in sleep.

But nothing could torture me more than the endless waiting.

Waiting to know if Hiccup, my rider, my friend, was still alive.

I watched them carefully, but never did they carry a body from the human dwelling. Even in the depths of night I knew were each one was. I watched them day and night, as long as I could without being caught by sneaking humans.

I watched as the blonde haired maiden made her way out to the bustling street with yelling humans and the smell of food and return with a bag in each hand every day. I followed the brown-haired man to and from various houses. I watched as the woman picked herbs. I guard their house day and night, only leaving for food or sleep.

I have spent so long in the woods behind the house, waiting. Forever waiting, it seems.

The world has no meaning in these times. The sun rises and sets and I watch. I follow and observe and wait. The beautiful island has no meaning, no draw to it. Each minute is an eternity. Forever; without Hiccup.

It isn't fair. We get a glimpse of freedom and everything comes crashing down. All I wanted was for it to just be me and Hiccup, traveling with no worry or cares. Was it so hard to ask for? It was so simple, why couldn't it work?

What else could we do?

Before Hiccup, everything was…the same. Everything just was; no question or option. But with his presence came more possibilities then I could have ever imagined. We could do anything now. And yet, we are stuck in time, waiting for…what?

"What's the point of all this?" I would roar at the sky, getting anxious and worried. What is the point? Why are Hiccup and I being put through all this agony? It made my scales itch just thinking about it. In worry and frustration I would tear at the earth. I can't fly without Hiccup, not like I would want to. Why couldn't he just wake up?

Like I said, if I ever meet Karma, it is _dead_.

So I will wait. I will wait forever until my rider is alright. Until I can see his smiling face again. I will stalk the healers every minute of every day. And if my Hiccup does not make it, I will destroy the entire town with the force of a dragon. For I am not tame, and I am not friendly. I have my rider, the one who can relate and the only one I will tolerate. As for the rest of the humans…if Hiccup was not here, they would all be dead.

And they will be.

I watch the window carefully, the one I sometimes smell his scent coming from, carried by the wind. He is so close, and yet though I try to reach him with every fiber of my being, I cannot. He slips away into the darkness as the battle rages inside his body. Inside his wound. I pull for him, beg for him yet he does not hear me.

I look back on the time I thought about killing him, and I disgust myself. I could not harm Hiccup, and never again will I allow harm to come to him.

So rise sun, and set.

Come at me Karma, with all the strength you have.

Betray me world. Fight me, fear me, and harm me.

Waters wash me away.

Fire burn me to ash.

Destroy my body, I will fight with my soul.

For I will absorb all the damage in the world,

For every scratch Hiccup will ever take.

And I will do it a thousand times over.

For I am a dragon.

And I have a rider.

And neither of us is tame.

We will not be broken.


	7. Bonds

I know Hiccup's 13, but in my story he is 17! Get it? Got it? Good. And the reason for that is he didn't capture Toothless until much later and then they spent more time together….like a few months.

**Review** if you're awesome!

~Oman~

I found my mind wandering one day on my way home. A particular image kept popping up in my mind as I ambled back. An image of the red-headed boy in my guest room. Last time I had seen him, which was only this morning, he was sleeping peacefully. His eyes no longer flickered under wet eyelids. His mouth set flat, and not for once pulled into a painful frown. His long red hair was split on his forehead; no doubt the result of Ophelia's caring stroking.

We had taken a liking to the boy. At first, I admit I was reluctant to help him. To many times had I put my heart and soul into healing a person only to have them fade away, no strength left. But there was something different about this boy. I couldn't not help him. Besides that, he was healing at an amazing rate.

The wound was bad, and I would be surprised if he could see out of that eye ever again. But the infection was horrible. In anyone else so young, it might have killed them already. The boy was only about 17, and he had amazing strength of will. It had been a few weeks since we had taken him from the forest, and by now the infection is completely gone.

Contrary to popular belief, not all of the healing could be done by doctors. The person had to be willing to heal. This boy was fighting with a strength I had never seen before, and I was willing to bet he had something worth fighting for. Within this short time, the horrible infection that almost made me give up hope on sight has vanished. In its place is now just a thin scar across the boy's right eye. The stitches Ophelia had put in were taken out a few days ago, and the skin was coming together nicely.

There was something odd about the boy though, besides his rate of healing. Something very, very odd.

The Shadow that haunted me and my wife.

It watched us, we could tell. It was always there, keeping an eye on the boy. Even the villagers had noticed things. Huge scratch marks in the forest, footprints that were larger than anything we've ever seen before. What kind of monster blended with the darkness and made such a commotion?

Over the last few weeks the villagers had been sending out search parties. They found numerous markings of the beast, which Ophelia and I have taken to calling the "Shadow" simply for its nature. Shadow was always watching and waiting. But it never attacked. It has never harmed us or stolen from us. At least, so far.

Ophelia is convinced it's a good monster. And honestly, so am I. It lead us to the boy we call "Scar", for lack of a better name. And we didn't get such a bad vibe from Shadow. Just…shyness. Unwilling to be seen and from its size and markings in the forest it has good reason to be.

We've pretty much figured the situation out. Shadow is a friend of Scar's, and with Scar being sick Shadow needed someone to heal him. That's where we come in.

It's been a few weeks, and I am worried about how long it's taking for Scar to wake up. Still, the boy is strong. I'm sure he's healing steadily even right now, with no one home to care for him.

Or he'll wake up and book it out of here without his money.

Either way, he's going to be fine. I'm almost positive.

~Hiccup~

The world was turning again, moving up and down. I felt like I was on a boat, swaying to no beat in particular. There was a soft sound along with the movement, like a whooshing of air. But it was so soft I can hardly say I even heard it. What was it? It was high pitched, and then low pitched. Then I realized what the movement was. It was my chest, rising and falling. The soft sound was the sound of my breath, escaping through slightly parted lips. A small moan creaked past my vocal chords and I clenched my fist.

Where was I? My mind was fuzzy and muddled, like I had drunken to much ale. In fact, I felt exactly like I had a hangover. My stomach writhed in pain, most likely eating itself and now and then letting out strange growls of hunger pains. I don't know how long I lay there, waiting and wondering.

My body was just coming to, and I felt my eyes flicker beneath my lids. It was warm where I was, and there was a heavy something covering my body. I realized it was a blanket, the scratchy surface brushing my bare chest and making me itch. There was a pillow beneath my head, soft and warm. The air was so comfortable and calm, I wanted to sleep again.

I struggled with myself for a moment. My eyes were already getting heavy again, and the feeling in my body fading away. I didn't want to go to sleep; I wanted to know what was going on! My mind started to catch up with the situation. I was in a bed, somewhere warm. Probably a house. What was going on?

I started to move my hand, panic spreading in my mind. Where was Toothless? If I was in a house, where was he? I remembered fire, and darkness. My eye was hurting so bad I wanted to scratch my eyeball out to stop the pain…

It didn't hurt anymore. That confused me even more. What happened? Why was my right eye…fine? In the first time in weeks, my eye was all right! It didn't even feel remotely hot. In fact, it felt…cool? I squeezed my eyes shut even more, trying to figure it out. There was something wet and cold draped across my forehead.

More than being confused and worried, I was frightened. My body was falling asleep, and it wasn't listening to me! Where was Toothless? Where was my dragon? If he had gotten caught….if I was in a human town…Finally my right hand reached my bare thigh. I could barely feel and I fumbled for a moment, panicked. I needed to wake up! With a burst of pain, I managed to pinch myself in the soft bare skin of my inner thigh. My body jerked in surprise, and my eyes snapped open.

My breath caught in my chest, and my eyes started to water as I started at the wood ceiling.

My eyes.

I was staring at the ceiling with my eyes.

Both of my eyes.

I felt tears run down my face, leaving hot streaks down my cheeks. My right eye was open, and working! My chest started to heave with happiness. I wasn't…blind! I could _see_, oh Odin I could see! I shut my left eye and stared at the ceiling with my right eye. I could see the swirls of the grain against the wood. I could see the shadows of a candle flickering in the corner, casting figures on the wood. My chest was hurting. I clenched my teeth and held back laughter as my chest shook. Salt bleed onto my lips and dripped into my mouth, but I didn't care. I could _see_.

My body was still lying on the bed softly. I opened my other eye and watched the flickering of the light as I calmed my breathing. I took deep breaths and eventually the overflowing emotion went away. I had bigger things to deal with.

Namely, Toothless.

Where was he? I lay in bed, not wanting to move quite yet. Where was Toothless, and where was I? The more my happiness faded, the more my panic set in. instead of crying, I started hyperventilating. Images flashed through my mind of all the things they could have done to Toothless. My muscles started to twitch in anxiousness. I had to get up; I had to get to Toothless! I begged to the heavens as the images got worse, all the things they could have done…Toothless! How could I have failed him? Where _was_ he?

Every particle of my being, every piece of me suddenly stretched beyond myself. I had to find him, I would give anything to find him! Feelings fueled me, panic and worry and pain. I was just about to heave myself out of bed and run around screaming when something unexpected happened.

Toothless was reaching for me too. Abruptly, we crashed into each other. Our feelings melded, and our worry for the other was frozen. There was a burst of light and darkness; colors swirled behind my now closed eyelids. Pain shot through us, like lighting going through from our joined right leg to right eye. I could feel, and see, and sense things not before seen. For a moment, I was frozen in fear.

There were scales on my arm. My five fingers became four black ebony claws, and scents attacked my nose. There was pine, dirt, the smell of rain and fish. Sunlight danced across the land, giving off green and brown colors and some I didn't even have names for. The trees loomed before me, but I felt strength in my limbs. Like if I wanted to, I could leap off and beyond the tree tops.

I felt Toothless beside me, watching something different. Instead of strength of limbs, I could feel his mind whirling. Thoughts assaulted him and images he could have never conjured appeared before him. Shapes and lines, attached my points and things not yet here. He looked to me, and I saw green eyes in my yellow orbs. He put a scale-less hand on his red head, watching me with amazement.

I had something Toothless didn't, or didn't before now. I could create things out of other things. I could mold things to my liking using nothing but fire and steel. I could see to the future, and see many paths. And he had something I didn't, or didn't before now. He could look something in the face and say 'no'. Toothless had strength I never thought I could have. He could stand up for himself and overpower his enemies.

We were looking into the mirror. I was seeing myself, and Toothless was seeing himself.

Memories assaulted us. I saw Toothless cracking the dark shell and emerging into the light. I saw him learning how to fly with other Night Furies. I saw fire, and heat. I felt horror and pain as a great green beast emerged before me. I saw Toothless surviving like a dragon, like the dragon he was. Then I saw him learning, I saw him getting hit by a rope propelled by a small boy. I saw him fall, and I felt his tail fin rip.

I saw a boy, with a knife. I saw him, and I wondered. I saw him, and I began to see the future.

My mind whirled with confusion and we faded into blackness, falling together. I didn't want to go to sleep again; I wanted to know where Toothless was! An image flashed in my mind, made up or real I don't know. Toothless, slouched against a boulder by a river. His tongue rolled out of mouth gently, his eye closed peacefully. I felt my muscles relax. Toothless was okay. He was just…sleeping.

I didn't have enough energy to question what just happened. All I knew was what the feeling meant. Those images, those thoughts. They were the bottom to a bridge, the structure. The bridge was a golden light, connecting Toothless and I. I could feel him, even now. I could feel him more than I had before.

Somehow, we were pulling towards each other so much and we collided with such force, something was made. The bond was there, from before. From the minute I endangered my life to save him. Unconditionally, expecting nothing in return.

That bond was growing stronger.

I faded into blackness once again, this time with the comfort of knowing. Knowing Toothless was okay. Knowing I would be ok.

What happened again? I couldn't remember; the memory was fading already. Still, the feeling remained. Two separate beings, two minds, two souls. And yet…only one.

Toothless and Hiccup. Such odd names, such odd personalities. We never fit in anywhere else.

Except we fit perfectly with each other.


End file.
